Lost Brother
by darke wulf
Summary: Vince McMahon plots to use Kane to break the Undertaker. Warning violence and mild language
1. Death in the Family

Standard Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters used in this story (anybody know of any good how-to hypnosis books?). They are owned by the WWF. I am making no money from this little piece of drivel. There is no need for a lawsuit.  
  
  
  
Lost Brother  
  
  
Kane was in a very good mood as he exited the arena and stepped into the rainy night air following Smackdown. He and his brother had finally gotten some payback on Hunter and Steve Austin for the beating the two had given Kane and Taker on Raw. Looking back at the Game and Austin's bloody bodies lying on the ring floor had done wonders for Kane's disposition. Even his elbow didn't hurt quite as much any more. And Sunday at Backlash, he and the Undertaker were going to take the IC and WWF Titles away from the Power Trip, leaving no doubt as to whom the most dominant team in the WWF really was.  
  
Even the fact that he had finally been forced by his brother to get his arm properly tended to, and thus was leaving the arena about two hours after everyone else, couldn't dampen Kane's spirits. Nearly humming to himself, he made his way to his rental car, stepping around the deeper of the rain puddles that had formed in the parking lot. For a moment he thought he saw movement in the nearby shadows, but when he looked there was nothing there, so he assumed he had imagined it.  
  
He pulled out his keys and was about to unlock the car door when he once again noticed movement, this time much closer. He quickly turned to see who, or what, was behind him. He had only gotten about halfway when the lead pipe connected with his skull, knocking him unconscious.  
  
The well muscled form of his attacker was joined by another, and together they lifted Kane's body and threw him in the back of their nearby SUV, removing another, similarly shaped form first.   
  
"Sweet dreams, retard," the first man said before closing the back door. "Meet me at the house when you're done," he told his accomplice as he settled into the driver's seat. The second man merely nodded, then began dragging the form that had been removed from the SUV to Kane's car. The first man started the SUV, and the vehicle disappeared into the night.  
  
************************************************  
  
The Undertaker awoke the morning after Smackdown with a feeling of unease. The whole night he had been plagued with nightmares...dark dreams filled with black, whispering shadows and vague feelings of despair and wrongness. He wasn't sure what could have triggered such dreams, but he figured the morning workout he and Kane had scheduled would help him get them out of his head.   
  
If not, then his younger brother was sure to sense that something was bothering him and would bug him until the Undertaker had told him what was wrong. Then Kane would tell him that it was undoubtedly nothing, and would probably make a joke about the Undertaker's cooking finally reaching new lows and causing his nightmares. The Undertaker found himself smiling fondly at the mere thought.  
  
Not having a family for most of his life, Taker had only scoffed when the other wrestlers would go off about how wonderful they were. Now that he and his brother were a family again, he finally understood what the others had been talking about.  
  
Hearing a knock at the door of his hotel room, he opened it to reveal a distressed looking Mick Foley.  
  
"What's up, Mick," the Undertaker asked the former Commissioner, who was now working in the front offices of the WWF.  
  
"Taker," Mick began, then blew out a long breath of air, "You'd better sit down."  
  
"Why?" Taker asked, "What's going on, Mick."  
  
"Taker...it's...it's about Kane."  
  
The Undertaker felt his blood run cold at those words. Surely, nothing could have happened to Kane, they had just seen each other last night when Taker had forced his brother to get medical attention for his elbow. "What about Kane," the Undertaker asked, his voice emotionless.  
  
"I...I just got a call from the local police." Mick told him, "They found Kane's car early this morning. From the looks of it, he hit a slick spot on a bridge and lost control of the car...he...he was dead when they got there." As Mick spoke the Undertaker collapsed onto the couch in shock. "The car itself exploded, so they're having to comparing dental records to confirm that it's Kane in the car, but the...the body's the right size, and it is definitely the car that Kane rented. I'm...I'm sorry Mark." Mick finished. "I know it's not enough...but I'm sorry. If there's anything I can do..."  
  
"Just...just leave me alone Mick." The Undertaker replied, fighting to maintain his composure "I appreciate you coming here to tell me what happened, but I need to be alone right now."  
  
"Sure thing, Mark," Foley told him, "Just remember, if there's anything I can do, call me."  
  
"I...I will Mick. Thanks again." Taker said as Foley stepped out of the door and closed it behind him.  
  
Once safely alone, the Undertaker allowed himself to break down, and sobs for his lost brother racked his body.  



	2. Deadly Nightmares

Standard Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters used in this story (Kane doesn't know what he's missing). They are owned by the WWF. I am making no money from this little piece of drivel. There is no need for a lawsuit.  
  
  
  
Lost Brother II  
  
  
Kane looked up as he heard a loud groaning sound, noticing for the first time a slowly growing sliver of light breaking up the darkness of the room into which he had awakened. Then, what Kane now realized was the door to the room, opened completely and the space was flooded with light, causing Kane to blink his eyes in pain. It took several moments for his eyes to adjust to the light, but when they had they widened in shock at what he saw.  
  
Standing before him, on the other side of the thick iron bars that kept him prisoner in the cell he was in, were Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Vince McMahon, one of whom had placed a miners' lantern on an old iron hook on the wall opposite the door while Kane had still been blinded.  
  
"Wha...?" he blurted out in surprise, causing Austin and McMahon to chuckle. HHH remained as he was, standing slightly off to the side and glaring darkly at Kane.  
  
"What the matter, Kane?" Vince asked, "Don't tell me that shot to the head destroyed what little remained of your brains."  
  
"What's going on, Vince?" Kane asked Vince, trying to figure out why his boss was, from all indications, holding him captive. "Why are you keeping me here?"  
  
"That's Mr. McMahon to you," Vince replied, evilly glaring at Kane. "And as for why I am keeping you captive, well let's just say I'm planning on making your brother's life absolutely miserable, and your 'death' was the first step in doing so."  
  
"My death?!" Kane shouted. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"Listen carefully Kane," McMahon replied, "I'll speak slowly an try to use small words, so maybe you can understand me. After attacking you in the parking lot, Hunter brought you here. Steve, however, had another task. He took your car and drove it to a nearby bridge. Then, placing the body of a...volunteer...we found of similar size and body type as you behind the wheel, he rigged the car to run through the guardrail and into the ravine below, where it exploded, destroying the body inside it to the point where physical identification was impossible. Thus, the police concluded...and dear Undertaker was told, that his brother had lost control of his car in the bad weather and had gone off the bridge, dieing immediately."  
  
Kane was speechless for a moment as the sheer magnitude of what had been done hit him, then he protested, "but even if the body was too badly burned to be identified, comparing dental records would have proven it wasn't me in the car."  
  
"Very good, Kane," Vince applauded, "I'm surprised you actually thought of that. You're right of course, the man who examined the dental records did find that it hadn't been you in the car. Then he found five hundred thousand dollars in his bank account, and decided to keep his discovery to himself."  
  
"You bastard!" Kane roared, "Why are you doing this? What could you possibly have against Mark that would merit this?" he asked, still clueless as to what Vince was hoping to accomplish or why. Mark had always been a star employee of the WWF. What was Vince possibly thinking?  
  
"What do I have against him?!" Vince roared, his mood changing like the flick of a switch as rage colored his face and his eyes began to bulge, "What do I have against the Undertaker?! He turned his back on ME! No one does that. He served ME...he led the Ministry as I commanded...and then he had the audacity to QUIT! As if it were that simple! As if I would let him just walk away from MY service!"  
  
"What?" Kane protested, terror starting to grip him as he realized he was not dealing with a sane man. "This is all for show. You know that. None of it is real! It's just an act!"  
  
"Simple fool," McMahon sneered, "this is no act...no game. It is very real. Your brother understood that. He KNEW what he was getting into when he joined my Corporate Ministry...and he still betrayed me, joining the side of that bitch I married. No, this is no act. The Undertaker will rue the day that he EVER crossed Vincent K. McMahon. I will take everything that he loves, I will break his spirit, and then I will take his life!"  
  
"You're insane!" Kane cried, fear for his brother nearly overwhelming him as he understood the depths of Vince's obsession and madness for the first time. "That's cold-blooded murder! You'll never get away with it!"  
  
"I AM VINCENT K. MCMAHON!" Vince roared. Then his voice suddenly turned smug as he said, "Trust me, I will never see the inside of a jail cell."  
  
Then the owner of the WWF left the room, being followed by Austin. HHH walked over to the wall where the lantern hung and, lifting it from the hook, he too started out the door.  
  
"Vince really is mad you know, Hunter," Kane told the man, who paused briefly and turned to face Kane, the flickering lantern causing a strange play of shadows and light on his features. "Why are you going along with this plan of his? Thinking the WWF is real?! Hunter, that man needs psychiatric help."  
  
"What do you expect me to do, Kane?" Hunter asked heatedly. "In case you haven't noticed, that man holds my career in the palm of his hand. Vince has been good to me. I turn on him, and it's back to being a mid-carder."  
  
"Is your success really worth this?" Kane replied, "Worth encouraging the delusions of a madman? Worth being an accessory to murder?!"  
  
"My success is worth everything and anything," HHH told him, though there was a troubled look on his face as he turned around once again and exited the room. The large iron door ominously slammed behind him, leaving Kane in total darkness.  
  
"Be strong, my brother," Kane whispered, hoping against hope that somehow Taker would hear him, "be strong...and beware."  
  
************************************************  
  
The Undertaker had finally managed to bring his tears under control, though now he just felt an incredibly numbness. Kane was gone. Then a thought hit him like a bullet to the chest...if he hadn't have insisted that Kane get treated for his arm...if he hadn't left his brother alone at the arena...Kane might still be alive. His little brother was dead...and it was his fault. The tears, which Taker had thought long dried up, once again flowed down his cheeks as he rocked his body on the couch, his arms crossed tightly across his chest.  
  
It was all his fault.  
  
************************************************  
  
Midnight came, and found the Undertaker passed out on the couch, exhausted from the emotional turmoil he had faced since learning that morning of Kane's death. A soft click was heard, as if someone had used the card key to unlock the hotel door, and the door's knob began to slowly turn. Into the room crept Austin, a tape player in his hand. He quietly made his way over to the couch on which the Undertaker slept fitfully and pressed 'play'. Then he put the machine under the couch and took a seat in a nearby chair to watch the fun, being sure that the ear plugs Vince had given him that were specially designed to block out the subliminal messages of the tape were in place.  
  
************************************************  
  
The Undertaker was once again suffering the same dreams of shadows and despair that had plagued him the night before. Gradually, however, they began to change...the shadows becoming more defined. The Undertaker gasped as his surrounding finally came into focus and he found himself in the burned out skeleton of the house he and Kane had once called home.  
  
Hearing footsteps behind him, the Undertaker whirled only to come face-to-face with the gruesome sight of his brother's ghost. Even though Kane was slightly transparent, Taker could still see signs of the violent death Kane had suffered. Cuts, still oozing blood, covered almost every inch of Kane's skin. His left arm hung at an awkward angle, and a gash stretched across his face from forehead to chin, running through the empty socket where his left eye had been. Dirt and blood were smeared all over his skin and clothing. Worse than all that, though, was the accusing glare he aimed at the Undertaker.  
  
"Kane..." Taker croaked, his heart breaking at the sight of Kane's ghost.  
  
"Undertaker," Kane hollowly intoned, "how could you?"  
  
"How could I what, Kane" Taker asked, "I don't understand."  
  
"You killed me, Mark," Kane replied, "It was because of your insistance that I stayed behind at the arena. But you left, and I had to drive to the hotel alone. Because you couldn't be bothered to wait for me, I died, hurt and alone. My death is your fault, Mark. You alone are responsible."  
  
"Kane, No," the Undertaker protested, "I never meant for anything to happen to you."  
  
"So you claim," Kane told him, "and yet you live and I do not. It wasn't enough for you that you burned my humanity away," Kane said, gesturing to the skeleton of wood that surrounded them, "it wasn't enough that you betrayed and tormented me countless time throughout my life. You had to take my life as well."  
  
"no..." the Undertaker whispered, trying to deny his brothers words. The guilt he felt however, the self-loathing that had haunted him all day, did not allow it.  
  
"Congratulations, brother," Kane sneered as he began to fade away, "you have finally won. You've succeeded. I am dead...and it is your fault."  
  
"Kane, no, come back," the Undertaker begged, but his brother's ghost was already gone, only the haunting echo of his last words remained.  
  
"My fault..." the Undertaker muttered aloud. Steve Austin, who had started to move towards the couch to retrieve the tape player before the Undertaker awoke, paused briefly, at first thinking that the Undertaker was waking up. When he realized that Taker was still trapped in his nightmares, however, a sick smile spread across his face. Grabbing the tape player, he made his way out of the room and silently closed the door behind him. Still smiling, he head back to his own room to sleep the day away before he had to return to the Undertaker's room that night for a repeat performance.  
  



	3. The Last Battle

Standard Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters used in this story (hmm...the art of voodoo...this book looks interesting). They are owned by the WWF. I am making no money from this little piece of drivel. There is no need for a lawsuit.  
  
  
  
Lost Brother III  
  
  
Five more days and five more nights...along with five more nightmares...passed. Kane's funeral service and burial came and went, and those who attended were shocked to see the state the Undertaker was in. Sunglasses covered his eyes, but they couldn't hide the weariness that radiated from him. When he spoke it was in a low, dead voice, nothing at all like the powerful, confident Texan drawl they were used to. Mick Foley once again tried to offer his help to the Undertaker, but once again found himself turned down. As far as the Undertaker was concerned he didn't deserve anyone's help.   
  
He had killed his brother.  
  
He deserved to suffer alone.  
  
Finally, on the thirteenth day since Kane's death, the Undertaker decided it was time to give up. The nightmares weren't leaving him any peace, not that he deserved any. He had killed his brother, and it was time to make amends. Making a brief stop at a pawnshop to make a purchase, Taker went to the cemetery where Kane was buried. Not once on the way did he see the man who followed him, nor notice when said man pulled a cell phone out of his camouflaged jacket and made a short call.   
  
************************************************  
  
Kane looked up as Hunter entered the room that housed his prison. In the thirteen days that Kane had been held captive, Hunter had been the only other person he had seen after that first shocking discussion when Vince McMahon and Steve Austin had also been present. Since then it had always been Hunter who had brought Kane his food and water. Kane was actually grateful for this, as he found Hunter a much preferable companion to either the insane McMahon or the sadistic Austin, who had taken no trouble to try and hide the delight he was getting from tormenting the Undertaker. And, while Kane had been unsuccessful in his attempts to convince Hunter that he should leave Vince's faction, he had gotten him to grudgingly answer his questions of the outside world. And Kane, desperate for information about his brother, was thankful for small favors.  
  
Kane felt dread hit him as he saw the very troubled look on Hunter's face. "What's wrong?" he asked, hoping that Hunter wasn't coming to tell him that the Undertaker was dead.  
  
HHH stared at Kane for a long time, looking deep into Kane's eyes as if trying to find answers to unknown questions there. Then he sighed and shook his head, throwing something at Kane. Looking down, Kane realized that it was the keys to his cell. He quickly took them and unlocked the door, moving slightly unsteadily as his cell hadn't been large enough for him to properly exercise his muscles.  
  
"Hunter," Kane prompted, looking at the man before him in confusion.  
  
"I can't do it," HHH told him, self-disgust in his voice. "I had everybody, myself included, convinced that I was a bastard who would do anything to get to the top...put when push came to shove I can't bring myself to help kill the Undertaker."  
  
"And that's a bad thing?" Kane asked, surprised that Hunter seemed disappointed with himself for the decision he had made.  
  
"Depends on your point of view," HHH replied, a wry grin on his face.  
  
"Hunter," Kane said, trying to make Hunter see reason, "Vince is crazy. You know that. It's one thing to beat a guy up, even injure him, to get him out of the way so you can get to the top...but flat out killing him?"  
  
"Yeah, I know," HHH told Kane, then look back up into Kane's face. "Come on, you big retard," he said, "We've got an annoying asshole to save."  
  
************************************************  
  
When Taker finally reached the cemetery he slowly walked over to his brother's tombstone, moving like a man twice his age.  
  
He heard a car pull up, but didn't turn to look, assuming it was just someone else visiting a friend or family member. His shadow, however, extricated himself from behind the tree he had standing near and walked over to the vehicle. The driver's window came down, and Vince listened with an evil grin growing on his face as he heard Austin's report.  
  
The grin on his face soon turned to a look of anger, as he noticed another car rapidly approaching. "What the hell?" he asked, recognizing it as one of his own.  
  
The Undertaker, however, remained oblivious to it all. Staring at Kane's tombstone, he felt the despair once more overcoming him. It was time to end it. Pulling the revolver he had purchased out of his duster pocket, he told the unforgiving stone before him, "I'm sorry, Kane. I hope with my death your spirit can finally rest." So saying, he put the gun to his head and prepared to pull the trigger.  
  
Vince had momentarily turned his attention away from the newly arrived car, not wanting to miss his final moment of triumph. Thus he did not see Kane, weak from his captivity and being supported by HHH, get out of the vehicle and move rapidly towards the Undertaker. Vince did, however, hear Kane when he called out in desperation to the Undertaker, "Mark, NO!"  
  
Vince heard, and so did the Undertaker. Vince watched in horror as the Undertaker slowly lowered the gun and turned towards Kane. Growling in rage, McMahon reached into the glove compartment of his car and pulled out a revolver of his own and made his way to the grave.  
  
The Undertaker, meanwhile, merely stared as he watched what had to be the ghost of Kane approaching. //But why, if his brother was a ghost, did he look like shit? // a small portion of Taker's brain asked himself, //And since when did a ghost need support to stand up?//  
  
Then, without even realizing it, Taker began moving towards Kane, until the two were only about twenty-five feet apart. Then he stopped, afraid to get any closer, to find that he had gone mad and was merely hallucinating.  
  
"Mark," Kane called to him, "It's me. I'm alive...I'm alive."  
  
"Kane?" the Undertaker asked quietly as the gun fell from his grasp, the despair in his voice making even Hunter's heart ache.  
  
"Yes, Mark," Kane replied. "I swear to you, I'm alive. That body in the car, it wasn't me."  
  
"It wasn't you," Taker repeated dumbly, still not quite certain that he could risk believing. Almost against his will, he slowly started moving towards Kane again, this time more slowly. A bullet striking the ground just in front of his feet pulled him up short, however.  
  
"That far enough," Vince told him before turning to Hunter. "You traitor," he spat at HHH, quickly aiming his gun and firing a single shot at the blond. Kane, realizing what Vince was planning, was already dropping to the ground, pulling HHH with him, but the bullet still ripped through HHH just above his chest.  
  
Kane, knowing that Vince would finish Hunter of if he realized his wound hadn't been fatal, yet at least, whispered, "Play dead," as he pretended to check for a pulse.  
  
"Who's playing," HHH murmured through clenched teeth, then blacked out as the pain of his wound overcame him.  
  
Kane, reassured by the steady pulse that beat under his fingers, looked up at Vince then and said, "He deserved better than that you bastard," hoping all the while that someone had heard the gunshot and would call the police.  
  
"That was more than he ever deserved," Vince replied, "He thought he could play with the big boys, but it appears 'the Game' wasn't quite the man we all thought he was."  
  
//No, he wasn't // thought Kane, thinking of how the man he had always considered an asshole had risked his career and his life to help Kane.  
  
"Such is the fate of all who dare to betray Vincent McMahon," Vince gloated, turning his gun onto the Undertaker. "And such will be your fate, my former Lord of Darkness. But first..." he began, suddenly turning the gun on Austin, who stood off to his right, "I think it's time to clean up some loose ends."  
  
"What do you mean, you son-of-a-bitch?" Austin demanded, not liking the turn things had taken.  
  
"To quote you Austin, 'Don't trust anybody'," Vince replied, "I can't risk you deciding to go to the police, or trying to blackmail me later when it suits your purpose. No, I'm afraid my friend that this is where our partnership ends." So saying, Vince fired the gun, hitting Austin between the eyes. The body of the former Rattlesnake fell in a heap on the ground. Vince gazed at it smugly for a second, then turned back to the Undertaker. "Now to finish things," Vince said.  
  
Taker still didn't understand what was going on. His dead brother was now apparently alive again, and the owner of the WWF, Taker's own boss, had just killed HHH and Steve Austin and was now threatening to kill him. Confusion and shock froze him in place, and he could merely watch as McMahon prepared to fire.  
  
Then a shot rang out, and the Undertaker closed his eyes, expecting to feel the pain of a bullet ripping through his body. Needless to say he was very surprised when no pain was forthcoming. Opening his eyes, he watched in shock as Vince moved his free hand up to touch the red spot on his chest that was rapidly increasing in size. His gun fell out of his now lax hand and he dropped onto the ground, a look of shock on his face as he stared at Kane, still sitting on the ground, and Taker's discarded revolver that was now grasped in Kane's right hand.  
  
The Undertaker, following Vince's gaze, also saw Kane sitting there, and suddenly was able to move again. "Kane," he choked out, moving quickly to his brother's side and dropping down on his knees. He enveloped Kane in a hug, proving to himself that Kane was there, alive and whole, and tears streamed from his tightly closed eyes.  
  
"It's alright, Mark," Kane told the Undertaker, "I'm here. It wasn't me in the car. It was never me. I'm here. I'm alive." This last he repeated several times until the Undertaker quieted. Then Kane began to rise, and Taker quickly moved to help him up.  
  
"Kane...why?" the Undertaker began, still incredibly confused.  
  
Kane sighed, wobbling slightly as the adrenaline that had fueled his strength disappeared. The Undertaker immediately wrapped his arm around his brother, steadying him and at the same time reassuring himself once again that Kane really was alive and not some figment of his madness.  
  
"It's a very long, troubling story, Mark," Kane told him, glancing at his own tombstone and then just as quickly looking away. "For now, I'll just say that McMahon went insane, and got lost in the world of the WWF. He truly believed that when you left the Ministry you turned your back on him, and he wanted to punish you for that."  
  
"What?!" Taker cried, not believing that something as small as a story line had initiated the whole terrible affair.  
  
"Exactly," Kane replied wryly, then looked down at the lifeless form of the former owner of the WWF. "You were right, Vince," he said, "You never will see the inside of a jail cell."  
  
As the wailing of police sirens drew near, thankfully someone had indeed heard the multiple gunshots and had called the authorities, the brothers waited, standing silently side-by-side.  
  



End file.
